While the commission itself has drawn derision from some Democrats as an effort to legitimize Trump's unfounded claim, Borunda's appointment has mainly led to head scratching in Maryland and elsewhere.

The process of legitimizing Islamic thought was in part begun during the rule of Kenan Evren, the army general who took power in a coup in 1980 and who viewed Islam as a potential buffer against communism.

But in Miami-Dade, the deal sparked a lengthy discussion that questioned whether collecting taxes from Airbnb legitimized the platform, which has been operating illegally in certain areas of the county.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legitimize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.